Separable coupling



Aug. 7, 1956 R. M. ULRICH SEPARABLE COUPLING Filed Jan. 21, 1954 throughzthe couplingmembers. tject tof: the .present inventionlto rprovide l a separableuid ..couplingautilizingawaive-seat and closure r-ba'llinithe .'pas'sagethrough .a coupling member` -in which the closure United States Patent SEPARABEE :COUPLING 'iRaymond SM. fUlrich, Roanke, '-Ill., :fas'signor `to Ulrich fFoundation,fInc.,-la corporation off Delaware Application'Januaryl y21, J1954,',Serial N o.V 405,441

l'rGlaims. =i(Cl.-1f37515) .The @present winvention :relates to separable couplings or uid conduits.

Oneoform `of :separable couplinglknown 'to-the art utilizes a valve seat and va closure-ball -to 'seal each'ofthe Atwo coupling :members .when :they w'are disengaged. Whentheftwofmembersare engaged, the closure'fballs of the'lturbulence in? `the viiow -fof viluid: through the separable coupling.

The turbulence inithelow of fluid through separable tcoupling'sof `Jthis type canSbe. .minimized by confl-ningthe position of the closure balls to the axis of the/passages It` is lthus a further ob- :ball is coniinedrto. the-axis oflthepassage.

ISeparable coupling membersare A generally attached Atto Ea.- hose for conveying iiuid in Aone of f two fdiiierent ways Z'Iffther hose is tofbel'requently 'disconnected-from .'.t'hetcoupling membergboth the coupling member rand :the hose Iarenprovidedwith threaded ttings. .Lifthe :hose Lis.I not intended- (to befrequentlydisconnected from thecoupling fmember, the coupling.-member pro- However,

.vided twitha. ridgedt'hose couplernlwhich is rammed-into athehose and -maylnotl'be removed without damaging .thezhose @OftenL the--processffof rammingfthe hosefnto the hose coupler injures the coupling member. It is a furtherv'fobjectff the-present invention to-I provide a separable couplingiwithaa coupling member tttilizing a valve `seat, ,closure ball, and means to confine the closureball Lto theiaxisf the passage 'throughthe coupling-.member in |which 'the ball ceiining means prevents thelhosecou- A ple'r 'from'being removed Yfrom the4 coupling. member .when .the members of the 'separable` coupling are rengaged, and permits -the removal of the hose coupler when the members of the separable coupling are disengaged.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to the man skilled in the art from a further reading of the present specification and claims, particularly when viewed in the light of the drawings. It is to be noted that the drawings illustrate only female coupling members, since the construction of male and female coupling members is well known to the art and has no direct relation to the present invention. The drawings are as follows:

Figure 1 if a vertical sectional view of a coupling member of a separable coupling constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 2 :is ra :vertical sectional .viewsf ancither.L coupling member which zco'nstitutes assecondgembtrdiment of the invention and AsfillustratedrinFigure :1, '.the. coupling unemberffofV :a separable coupling has-',-afhousin'gi'l having.v anpassage `12 extending longitudinally therethrough. #An s annular r valve seat 14 isiformed by raridge extending'ntoz the -passage t 12,-frorn @the surfacenof:..thehousing 1.10. Aeoloysure fball 16,havingrasdiameterzslightly largerfthan the diameter of the valve; seat1'4,tis:disposed'fwithin therpassage `12 andconfrontsthe va1ve'se`atf1'4.

The diametertofethe :mouth 18foffthe passage 12:;e'xceedsfthe diameter .of ittici-passage :12 .in:=thes-reg`ion;- be

. tween the valveseat :14 .'and fthe 'mouth :18, :thusI providing the housing 10 with ajshoulderjtl. 'A'hose :cou-

fpler L22.;is provided'twithea hollow cylindricaleend portion 24 whichfis.slidablyfdisposed withinthegmo'uth I8 of; v-the'passage 12, -tlfierend portion t24 of; lfthe? hose. lcoupler 322 beingshorter lthan-.the nmouth :18; of fthe-:passage 12.

A groovetisfrdisposedfadjacentstoA the openfendoffthe mouth 118, vand ia retaining band;.28-iis:;disposed,fwithin the groove 26. ".Thetendnportionf24:otr-the: hosegcoupler 22,is proyidedxNvithzarcecesssf wLhichtabuts-,ftheretainingxban'd, 28,'whenithe hose;coupler22.kis;a, maxmurnfdis- .tance from the tralve'seat 14,1 thercombined'idepth Yof 'the recess 56 vand the t-groove 26 :being .-barelywsuiricient :to

contain the retainingband 28.

An'elongatedxfkshapedie1ementz30 isidisposedwbetween the end portion 24 of the hose coupler 22 andwthe. closure -.ball f16. 4This element 130 isrformed fbyntwonplates 32 vkand :34. :Plate,LlZxhaszafislot i36extending therein along rtheraxis g of; the epassage 12 from; the, end .adjacent 'tothe mouth; 18fof the. passagealZ, and the :platef34 has .a S10t38..extending therein-.alongthe'axis ofwthe. passage 1'2 from-the ;oppositedireetion. 'Hence,plate 32 is `disposed inzthefslot 38.01; plate3t3`4, f andfplate.' e341 is dispose'd .-30 is provided-f=wth an; axial recess540: confrontinglthe closure ballA 16, 'the plates f32sand 34 -being :tapered .to

34 have smallenrcrossxSections-,adjacent :to the inouthll'S .in ordento permitf the zend-portion 24;y .of r the :hose coupler22 .to-slide ;between;.tliel1ou'sing liandfthezX-shaped element ,-30. :Shoulders w54 :pare disposed .at the x.point 'wherelthe Xfshapedt'element 3.0.achieves adiameterl just I smallergthan thatgof 'theepassage:'12,` :and the end. portion 24 of the hose coupler 22 abuts thesershoul'dersfSi.

The hose coupler 22 is provided with circumferential 'ridges' 46 WhichiareztadaptedwtoQgrip the interiorsuface -of :a hose- Aange :148 :positioned'fbetween the ridges 4,6 iand the f end portion 224 limits fthe .amount t of l-hose that fmayifbe, rammedaupon i' the -hose coup-ler' 22.

:iA-.sealing ring ,tdisposed withina: channel 52 lin the housing:10fzadjacentttolithefendzportion 24 o'fethe hose coupler 22 prevents leakage of uid from the passage 12 between the housing 10 and the end portion 24 of the hose coupler 22.

Figure 1 illustrates the closed position of the closure ball 16 in solid lines, and the open position of the closure ball 16 in dotted lines. It will be observed that in the closed position the closure ball 16 is forced against the valve seat 14 by the spring 44 exerting force against the housing 10 through the Xshaped element 30, the end portion 24 of the hose coupler 22, and the retaining band 28. In this position the end portion 24 of the hose coupler 22 is spaced from the shoulder 20 of the housing but abuts the shoulders 54 of the X-shaped element 30; hence, the hose coupler 22 may be removed by forcing the end portion 24 of the hose coupler 22 against the shoulder of the housing 10, removing the retaining band 28 from the groove 26, and withdrawing the hose coupler 22 from the housing 10.

However, when the coupling member is engaged with another coupling member of similar design, the closure ball 16 will be forced to maintain the open position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, since it is retained in position by the outwardly flaring mouth 42 of thc X-shaped element 30. As a result, the closure ball 16 is maintained on the axis of the pasage 12, and the closure ball 16 creates a minimum amount of turbulence in the ow of fluid passing through the separable coupling. Further, it is impossible for the hose coupler 22 to become disconnected from the housing 10 of the coupling member when the closure ball 16 is in this position, since the retaining band 28 is confined within the recess 56 in the hose coupler 22 and thus cannot bc removed from the groove 26.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 2 and 3 is designed for use with a hose provided with a threaded fitting. It has a housing 60 with a passage 62 provided with a valve seat 64 and a closure ball 66 confronting the valve seat 64, in a manner similar to that of the first embodiment. However, the mouth 68 of the passage 62 is provided with screw threads which are adapted to mesh with threads on the threaded titting at the end of a hose. An X-shaped element 70 with a recess 72 having an outwardly flaring mouth 74 is disposed between the closure ball 66 and the threaded mouth 68 of the passage 62. A helical spring 76 is disposed between the closure ball 66 and the X-shaped element 70.

This embodiment of the invention differs from the first embodiment principally in that the X-shaped element 70 is directly anchored to the housing 60 by a retaining band 78 disposed in a groove 80 in the housing 60 adjacent to the mouth 68 of the passage 62. The X-shaped ele ment 70 is inwardly fiaring on the end confronting the mouth 68, thus forming shoulders 82. The shoulders 82 abut the retaining band 78. The retaining band 78 has a length slightly shorter than the circumference of the groove 80, and is provided with an aperture at each end to aid in its insertion and removal from the groove 80. As in the first embodiment, the closure ball 66 is forced against the X-shaped element 70 when the coupling member engages a similar coupling member to cause the elo sure ball 66 to move to the open position.

The man skilled in the art will readily devise many other devices and modifications of the present device within the scope of the present invention. Hence, it is intended that the present invention be not limited by the foregoing disclosure, but only as set forth by the following claims.

l claim:

1. A separable coupling member having a passage provided with a valve seat, a closure ball disposed within said passage confronting said valve seat, a pair of plates disposed within said passage adjacent said closure ball opposite to said valve seat, each of said plates having a slot extending centrally therein, said plates being disposed normal to each other with each plate disposed within the slot of the other plate to form an element with an X-shaped cross-section, said element being provided with an axial recess at one end having an outwardly flaring mouth, said plates at the other end of said element being provided with shoulders at the periphery of said element, means confining the translation of said X-shaped element in said passage and abutting said shoulders, a helical spring disposed between said X-shaped member and said closure ball, said passage of said member being provided with a transverse shoulder adjacent to said shoulders of said plates, and a transverse circular groove spaced axially from said shoulder on said passage, said means confining the translation of said )tt-shaped element comprising a hose coupler having a portion disposed exterior to said passage, said exterior portion being adapted to secure a hose, said portion within said passage conforming to the surface of said passage and having an inner end abutting said shoulders of said plates and disposed between said groove and said shoulder of said passage, and a retaining band disposed within said groove in said member.

2. In a separable hydraulic coupling having a passage provided with a valve seat, a closure ball for said seat, two similar complementary plates disposed normal to cach other to form a stop member for said ball, said plates adjacent said ball having an outwardly aring mouth and an axial recess, a spring positioned within said recess and engaging said ball, said stop member engaging adjacent said bali the sides of said passage, the combination of an enlarged passage portion at one end of said coupling forming a shoulder in said passage, an annular groove in said enlarged passage, a swivel connector fitted within said enlarged passage, a snap ring in said groove to retain said connector, said connector being axially movable a short distance to engage the shoulder of said passage, said stop member having a shoulder portion in engagement with the end of said connector.

3. In a separable hydraulic coupling having a passage provided with a valve seat, a closure ball for said seat, two similar complementary plates disposed normal to each other to form a stop member for said ball, a helical spring interposed between said ball and said stop member, said stop member engaging adjacent said ball the sides of said passage, the combination of an enlarged passage portion at one end of said coupling forming a shoulder in said passage, an annular groove in said enlarged passage, a swivel connector fitted within said enlarged passage, a snap ring in said groove to retain said connector, said connector being axially movable a short distance between said snap ring and the shoulder of said passage, said stop member having a shoulder portion in engagement with the end of said connector.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,481,713 Bertea Sept. 13, 1949 2,548,528 Hansen Apr. 10, 1951 2,614,866 Ulrich Oct. 2l, 1952 2,648,553 Ulrich Aug. 11, 1953 2,660,456 Meddock Nov. 24, 1953 

